Intent

At St. Thomas’ we expect all children to be able to write legibly, developing their own individual style by the end of KS2. Whilst we do not follow a particular scheme, we expect all staff to be familiar with the school script and to model, demonstrate and teach it regularly and systematically, so that children:

• Achieve a neat, legible style with correctly formed letters in accordance with a cursive font.
• Develop flow and speed.
• Eventually produce the letters automatically and in their independent writing.

Implementation

In order to achieve our intention, we ensure that:

• Handwriting receives frequent and discrete, direct teaching (from EYFS to Y4- with support and intervention as needed beyond this)

• Children experience coherence and continuity in learning and teaching across the school
• Children get support in finding a comfortable grip. The size of pencil or pen) should not be too large for young hands. Whatever is used should allow the pupil to hold it easily and correctly to avoid bad habits.
• Children understand the importance of clear, neat writing in order to communicate meaning clearly.
•  Teachers’ have high expectations expecting children to take pride in the presentation of their work.
• Handwriting supports the development of correct spelling and phonics. (multi- sensory)
• Children know how to write quickly to aid expressing themselves creatively and imaginatively across the curriculum and for a range of purposes e.g note taking.
• Left-handed pupils should receive specific teaching to meet their needs.

Provision for left-handed children: At least 10% of the population are left-handed, the majority of whom are boys. All teachers are aware of the specific needs of left-handed pupils and make appropriate provision:

• paper should be positioned to the left for right handed pupils and to the right for left handed pupils and slanted to suit the individual in either case;
• pencils should not be held too close to the point as this can interrupt pupils’ line of vision;
• pupils should be positioned so that they can place their paper to their left side;
• left-handed pupils should sit to the left of a right-handed child so that they are not competing for space;
• extra practice with left-to-right exercises may well be necessary before pupils write left-to-right automatically.

       At St. Thomas’, our children are taught:

The Role of Parents/Carers:  Parents and Carers are aware of the agreed handwriting style and they are encouraged to practice this with their children at home.

Resources:

Resources are available on the staff shared system in the folder ‘Handwriting’ and on Teams. Our handwriting style should be displayed in every classroom and available on tables for children to refer to if needed.

Impact:

The impact of using the full implementation range above, including progressive, regular teaching, modelling and using display materials, is seen across the school. Handwriting expectations are clear, and spoken by, all teaching staff and learners. Whole school and parental engagement can be improved through using handwriting as home learning.

Our children’s handwriting will become automatic and to a high standard so that they are able to focus on the content of their writing rather than the presentation. The impact of this policy will be noticeable within written work in all areas of the curriculum.